Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Ronaldo fails to score in farewell appearance

Brazil 1 Romania

Pa
Wednesday 08 June 2011 12:05 BST
Comments

Ronaldo could not mark his farewell appearance for Brazil with a goal, as one of his successors in the national side, Fred, sealed the friendly win against Romania in Sao Paolo.

Brazil boss Mano Menezes handed the iconic striker a 15-minute first-half cameo in recognition of his achievements in the game, including three world player of the year awards and two World Cup wins.

He had a couple of opportunities to enter retirement with one last strike but could not match Fred's precision, after the latter scored the only goal of the game in the 21st minute.

Neymar created the goal, crossing from the left flank and locating his strike partner, who converted neatly.

With half an hour gone, Menezes gave the fans what they wanted, withdrawing Fred for Ronaldo.

Three minutes later, Neymar found the 34-year-old with another well-directed ball. He got his shot away but Ciprian Tatarusanu was on hand to make the save.

Neymar again fed Ronaldo in the 39th minute, this time unmarked and in a good position. He could not summon his former self and stabbed the ball over the crossbar.

His swansong came to an end when he was taken off at half-time and he was presented with a plaque by the Brazilian Football Confederation during the break.

He told the crowd: "I had chances to score. Sorry for not finishing them correctly. Thanks to all of you for what you did in my career. When I cried, you cried with me. When I smiled, you smiled with me. See you soon, but on the sidelines this time.

"I'm very proud of being Brazilian."

Romania's best chance to score was a 24th-minute free-kick from Gabriel Muresan that shaved the crossbar.

The second half was a limp affair, with neither side creating anything of note.

The video looks at how Ronaldo has changed the face of football by comparing two separate eras – B.R. (Before Ronaldo) and A.R. (After Ronaldo). He has sustained the game’s prominence in Brazil, redefined what a centre forward can be expected to do and brought Brazilian football firmly into the 21st century. The video is a tribute to his legacy.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in